X-men Origins: Goliath
Prologue: In writing this story, I find this the most effective way of showing my utmost respect to Len Wein's Idealism on "The X-men" and the philosophical ideas and theories behind the legacy This story is mostly based upon the film series, and will therefore have connections within the timeline of the film (though not completely and not constantly). The main character is my own idea, however "X-men" and the characters belonging to the Xmen title are not my creation and therefore can claim NO ownership of them in any manner. And, if you will, please enjoy!
I hear the sound of guns crackling on all sides, like each pull of a trigger made a different tiny piece of popcorn in a much amplified machine, the noise tremendous, the sight horrifying. After only a few minutes I hear a voice to my left "The building is just up ahead! Mason, you and your team push toward the east entrance; I'll go with Jacobs's team to the north entrance!" the voice yelling yet still fairly quiet as I simply nod, my gun raised high as I almost hastily point two conjoined fingers toward the guarded door, as 4 armed men behind me follow suit.
Pushing through, the crackling is now drowned out from most sides by the crackling from behind me, as the men before me fall to the ground, riddled with bullets and slowly soaking in blood as I get close to one, merely pushing him to the wall and – using only my bare hands – snapping his neck in one swift and presumably pain free twist. The entrance was secure…on this side of the door, at least.
Crouching behind the door, I look directly towards the 4 men who followed me "The weapons are located on the top floor, all floors heavily guarded" I instruct them, and while instructing them I preoccupy my hands in prepping a grenade, pulling the pin before throwing it through the window smashing the glass with incredible ease but still being far enough in the building to not affect my team or myself in the slightest.
After the grenade detonates, and after a very mighty boot collides with the doors, the door swings wide open as I only notice a couple of gunners still standing from the blast, most of them lying dead, some burned entirely, as I march my men through the floor, only stopping for a very swift pistol bullet to the head of a man who may only be deemed crazy for attempting to unleash a knife in my side while I hold a pistol in my hand on that same side, no less. In heading for the stairwell, the 4men go first, clearing the path and this time, it's one of their grenades to clear the floor, before repeating the same pattern once more, before reaching the top floor.
On reaching the top floor, we all realise this job is far from over. "Switch to thermal vision" I command as the 4 men do as I say almost instantly our visions crawling with detections, oranges, yellow and green every single place we look; there was only one option to take. "Ok, we circle the entire floor round, take out everybody, leave no survivors and we leave ONLY when we are sure of it and when the weapons are retrieved from the centre room" I say silently as the 4 men nod, all readying their SMGs and pistols silently as we sneak to the first door, 1 of the men cracking it open an inch as the other slowly rolls in an opened can of sleeping gas. The next noise we hear is the bodies of the men inside falling to the ground, unconscious.
As I check they are all asleep, the 4 men and myself enter the room, crouching above every man in the room, silently ending them with a very silent very clean slit across their windpipes, and as they sleep, they may never awaken. Room 2 seemed more difficult, and a second can of sleeping gas would have seemed a waste. Rather, a more subtle approach was required – and shortly after I had spotted the exposed air vent – found shortly after. As the air vent was unscrewed and removed from the wall, I silently signalled for the smallest man in the room, who was only known to the team as "Gomez" to enter the vent and return with data on the room.
As he did so, the rest of the men and I simply reloaded our weapons and readied ourselves, as it wasn't long before Gomez returned, signalling silently there were only 3 men inside the room. I signal to him again, this time signalling to find a way to distract the men as another team member "Fang" and I enter and take them out. As he does so, we silently open the door to see the men in the opposite corners, their gazes away from us as we're able to deliver three swift bullet holes into their craniums. 2 rooms down, 1 to go.
As we escape the second room, heading for the main corridor, already aware nobody is left alive thanks to our thermal vision, we slow our pace down to a near halt when we reach the final door, as I focus my vision on the target; an considerably large and incredibly red shape on my thermal vision…only…something was off. The red shape of the target…was moving on its own!
With only 2 enemies in this room – both of their guns aimed toward the target – I hastily take Gomez's pistol from him, break in the door and before they are able to react fire one quick shot into each of them, ending both hostiles as my team surround the target without my orders, yelling freeze and don't move. My mind is currently at a standstill, as these were not my orders "WHAT do you think you men are doing?!" I ask them as only Fang responds "I'm sorry, captain, but we are no longer under your orders" he responds to my ferocity.
"Not under my orders? Then who is it you take orders from?!" I ask Fang, appalled at the betrayal as one of the "targets" talks; a reasonably tall, red-haired kid, barely out of his teens. "Let me guess, military sent you to find the 'secret weapon' and used you as a scapegoat" he sniggered as I become even more confused than before "You know of this?" I ask him, almost sarcastically as he just laughs "They're afraid of what we are, we aren't weapons, we're monsters in their eyes!" he claims as I hesitate, looking to my hand as a feint shade of dark grey blankets my usually skin tone "….we?" I hesitate, stumbling over the word before the men around me get only louder and more aggressive sounding yelling "I SAID FREEZE!" and "HALT!" as I eventually realize that the red-haired kid's hair, was slowly lighting into fire, shortly followed by his full head as he looks to me, still grinning darkly before speaking in a dark yet calm voice "You didn't think you were alone, did you?"
As I leave the building, I slow my pace down, almost invisible as everyone around me runs and charges past me, almost through me, as I remain far too preoccupied within my own mind with questions. The child, he knew of my…my "skills"…but how…I have always been told I'm alone….and the day I realize I'm not as alone as I was to believe….the orders are given to kill the people who have more in common with me, than those wielding the guns on my team….